Over-the-counter health-and-wellness items play a key role in bridging a supermarket retail pharmacy to the rest of the food store. And with extensive outcomesbased medicines on the horizon, more health-seeking consumers will look to make that link between pharmacy and nutrition.

Responding to Monday’s devastating tornado in the Oklahoma City area, Walgreens this week mobilized increased shipments of essential supplies to its area stores; made an initial donation of three semi-trailers of food, water and first aid supplies to the Oklahoma chapter of the American Red Cross; and offered customers an opportunity to make donations at its Oklahoma drug stores.

The Food Marketing Institute and the Global Market Development Center have been setting the stage for their first combined conference focused on health, beauty and wellness. DSN dialed in Cathy Polley, VP health and wellness at FMI and executive director of the FMI Foundation; Dave McConnell, president and CEO of GMDC; and Bill Anderson, chairman of GMDC and group VP drug store, beauty, GM, floral and services for H-E-B for some insights around the value behind the Health & Wellness @Retail 2013 event.

Beyond Meat, the makers of plant-based protein foods that take the animal out of meat, announced the national rollout of Beyond Meat Chicken-Free Strips to provide consumers with a clean, plant-based protein that replicates the taste, texture and nutritional benefits of meat.

Kroger on Wednesday unveiled a clean energy production system that will convert food that cannot be sold or donated into clean energy to help power its Ralphs/Food 4 Less distribution center in Compton, Calif.

Health and wellness not only is the most compelling trend in today’s consumer packaged goods environment, but it also is among the hardest on which to capitalize, noted IRI Consulting in its new executive briefing, “What’s in Store for Health & Wellness.”

AllerMates on Thursday launched an online community at AllerMates.com for parents and healthcare professionals to exchange experiences, seek advice, post recipes, get breaking news and alerts, make friends, share photos and videos, use the “ask the doctor platform” and create a strong support network of allies among others dealing with allergies and asthma.

Inventure Foods, a leading specialty food marketer and manufacturer, has received certification from the Gluten-Free Certification Organization for its Boulder Canyon natural foods products and manufacturing facilities in Bluffton, Ind., and Goodyear, Ariz., the company stated.

CVS/pharmacy announced the official launch of Total Home, a new home care product line built on performance, reliability and premium quality that is now available exclusively at CVS/pharmacy stores nationwide.

Wrigley announced the company is temporarily stopping the sale and marketing of its new Alert Energy caffeinated gum "out of respect" for the Food and Drug Administration as they agency investigates the safety of added caffeine in foods.

Belgian international food retailer Delhaize Group, whose U.S. banners include Hannaford, Sweetbay and Food Lion, has announced that president and CEO Pierre-Olivier Beckers intends to retire from his executive role by the end of this year.

In celebration of Mother's Day, Met-Rx on Thursday announced that its championship bodybuilding athletes will team up with moms in the Met-Rx Cares program's first charitable food distribution event to benefit needy families from the central Jamaica area of Queens here.

A recently released reported that analyzed and measured the level of metals in 32 lip products does not provide any “new meaningful information” and the traces of metals found were not “unexpected given their natural presence in air, soil and water,” according to a statement issued Thursday by the Personal Care Products Council.

SPECIAL REPORTS

It’s done. A hearing aid category specific to the over-the-counter arena was signed into law in August; all that remains to be created is the regulatory framework. Read more in this special report. Read more...

IN THIS ISSUE

Drug Store News examines the biggest trends in the private label space; offers an update on the generics market; spotlights the biggest OTC trends; finds out how influencers are being used by beauty brands; and much more!Read more...